Fishing Beaver Dam Lake in Macoupin County, Illinois

• Overview

  Beaver Dam Lake is set in Macoupin County, Illinois. Beyond the shoreline you have mixed woodland. At about 52 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. A shoreline of some 1.5 miles keeps the choices simple. Nearest town is Carlinville, 6.7 miles off. St. Louis sits 42 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Beaver Dam Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Open biodiversity records for Macoupin County list green sunfish, bluegill, white sucker and yellow bullhead. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Work Beaver Dam Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 26°F and July at about 77°F, the water has a wide range to work through. The freeze here is occasional rather than annual. It should never be assumed safe, whatever the month says. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. Time your trip to Beaver Dam Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. The slipway at Beaver Dam is half a mile away. Parking is mapped about half a mile from the bank. There is a jetty 110 yards off, worth knowing on a busy day. You can camp half a mile off, which suits an early start. Toilets are half a mile away, which matters on a long session. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Treat Beaver Dam Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.